-
Subscribe RSS
By Email -
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Mona Butrous on How to Build Community, One Cut at a Time
- All Families (Without The Dependent Clause) | GothamSchools on Any Family
- chade mills on Announcing Our Essay Contest Winner: Fifth Grade Student Chade
- Ashley Welde on Response to Bullying
- “No gadget is going to fix it.” | Blog on 21st Century Skills? I’ve Got One Word for You
Categories
Archives
- December 2017
- August 2016
- June 2015
- February 2015
- May 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- May 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- November 2012
- September 2012
- June 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- June 2010
- April 2010
- February 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- June 2009
- April 2009
- February 2009
- December 2008
Blogroll
Education News
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Alumni Night: A Spectactular Success
Harlem Link’s first annual Alumni Night was a spectacular success. Our three sixth grade panelists – part of Harlem Link’s first graduating class of 2010 – answered questions posed by the current group of seniors about what to expect in middle school. The questions covered every area of school life, from uniforms and homework to social life and bullying.
This event was the first formal event in our long-term initiative to support our graduates all the way through college. I started the event by telling our families, alumni and students who had gathered for the occasion that “this is what rich people do”: keep in touch with their alumni networks to increase their own resources and access to opportunities. Schools that raise private funds of course also have a material interest in alumni. I’m disappointed that most urban elementary schools (and most public elementary schools for that matter) don’t think enough of their graduates that they will one day grow into a source of revenue for the school. Not I. I told our students and alumni that night: “I expect you to grow up to be rich and powerful adults who will give money to Harlem Link!”
Our three alumni beamed with pride at the opportunity to share their testimony about middle school life as expert witnesses. What was most revelatory about their discussion was just how disparate have been their experiences, already! We purposely chose three stellar students who attend a variety of different middle schools – a no-excuses charter school; a large, traditional middle school in the Bronx; and a smaller Upper West Side middle school.
At graduation time, we were concerned about the child attending the Bronx middle school. We trusted the family who in turn trusted the middle school, which was conveniently located close to grandma’s home and held the promise of a science and technology focus. After a disappointing experience, mom is in the process of transferring her child out to a safer and more rigorous school. And we have one more school on our “red alert” list, to which to warn families not to apply.
Consistently, across every single question, the range of their responses echoed the three bears from the Goldilocks story: two extremes and one in the middle. I don’t think I have to tell you which student said which – or that safety and rigor are far more important than bed size and porridge temperature. Some examples:
- Do you have uniforms at your school?
- “Yes, and we have to go to detention if there is anything off about our uniforms. It’s very strict. We wear them because it helps us focus and eliminates competition over silly things.”
- “We have uniforms.”
- “We have a uniform rule but nobody actually follows it. For example we’re not supposed to wear gang colors but people do anyway.”
- Is there bullying?
- “Kids pick on each other but we all know each other so we can work it out.”
- “There is bullying. We have a counselor we can talk to.”
- “There are fights every day. The eighth graders are really scary.”
- How long is recess?
- “Ten minutes, at most.”
- “Twenty five minutes.”
- “Forty five or fifty minutes, depending on when we get out of the cafeteria.”
I had a hard time sleeping that night thinking about our placement of a child into a school that would allow fights to occur throughout the playground and school every day, that doesn’t take safety seriously and doesn’t have a high expectation for student learning (all of which came across during the course of the evening).
Fortunately, the number of students from our 2010 graduating class who chose to enroll in schools that we do not trust and we do not think give them the best chance for future academic success is exceedingly small. Most of our graduates are thriving at their new schools – making principal’s lists, demonstrating leadership, and running academic circles around other kids. Some attend the most sought-after public middle schools in Manhattan, and a large number attend high-performing charter schools.
As we learn more about the middle schools that our kids attend, we are armed with more information to share with families of current students as we go about guiding these crucial decisions – and continuing that process of supporting them as part of our growing alumni community.